Be Merciful

Luke 6:32-36
“If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do that. And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, expecting to be repaid in full. But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.”

Have you seen the movie Jesus Revolution?

If you haven’t heard of the movie Jesus Revolution, it’s based on a true story of an amazing revival that took place in California in the late 60s and early 70s. In short, a conservative preacher of a small church opened the doors and welcomed in hippies who were seeking truth.

I would have been 11-14 years old at the time and remember hearing the stories and reading the Time magazine article. Even in Ohio the effects of the Jesus Revolution reverberated. A hand with the index finger pointing upward and a cross beside it became the symbol for young Christians across the country. Our church had a vibrant youth group, and it was a time of living on fire for Jesus.

When I walked out of the movie with James, Sara, and Eli my heart overflowed with gratitude to the Californian preacher who saw those who were different, the hippies, as people whom God loved. Then I wondered how often I overlook people because they are different from me.

Did you know the flower of Scotland is a thistle? In our country the thistle is considered a weed. Am I seeing weeds where God sees flowers?

In Luke 6, Jesus minced no words about who Christians should help and care for. He says to love our enemies. I’m guessing the preacher in California looked on the hippies as enemies or at least outcasts, but Jesus opened his heart.

Is it easy to love the unlovable? No. Yet, Jesus is specific. Be kind to everyone.

Be a Flower!

Why be a weed, when you can be a flower!

Weed or Flower?

The Stinky Weed

2 Timothy 1:8-10
So do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord or of me his prisoner. Rather, join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God. He has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time, but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. (Letter written to Timothy from Apostle Paul)

As Tim and I walked the dogs near a meadow, I noticed pretty purple blooms. I grabbed my camera and clicked. As I focused the lens, I realized I was snapping pictures of ironweed. Yes -- a weed, not a flower. God creates beauty in unexpected places.

The Apostle Paul's life, before he met Jesus, was ugly. He killed Christians. But when he traveled on the road to Damascus and fell before God and declared Jesus as his Savior, he lost his ugliness. Through grace and forgiveness, love and faith God transformed Paul into a beautiful weed. No one expected Paul to have a change of heart. He'd been persecuting Christians for a long time. Yet God's love changed him. 

God's grace can change any sinful, stinky weed of a human into a beautiful bloom. While sin resembles the stinging nettle weed; crowding out good plants, irritating, burning, annoying, and harmful. Grace is more like chicory, the pretty blue weed that blooms along the roadside and brings joy. God can change any heart if the person is willing. Praise God for his grace and forgiveness.